Hazardous Duty

by Christy Barritt

  I tiptoed past and ran to my door. I had to get Parker and Riley.

  Please let them be across the street still. Please.

  I tore down the stairs and outside. My heart slowed when I spotted the three of them seated at the corner table. I dodged cars and hurried to across the street. At the coffeehouse, I threw the door open and ran to the table.

  The three of them looked up as if I’d lost my mind.

  “Cunningham. In my apartment. Tried to kill me.”

  Riley and Parker jumped from their seats and darted out the door.

  “Who’s Cunningham?” Veronica asked, following behind me.

  “The man your father’s running against.”

  Riley and Parker left me in the dust, but I wasn’t staying behind for long. Even though I felt near collapse, my adrenaline propelled me on. Cunningham hadn’t confessed anything, but just the fact he’d threatened me in my apartment had to prove something. Maybe Parker would finally believe me.

  Sierra stood at the apartment’s outside door. “They told me to keep you down here.” She folded her arms over her chest. “What’s going on?”

  “Cunningham was going to kill me.” I gasped for air, trying to catch my breath. “He’s in my apartment. I knocked him out with my cake dish.” Pyrex, the homemaker’s answer to mace.

  Sierra threw her arms around me. “Then this is over. You don’t have to worry about someone trying to kill you anymore. They have reason to arrest him.”

  “Kill you?” Veronica’s mouth gaped open. “Why in the world is someone trying to kill you?”

  “It’s a long story.”

  Veronica crossed her arms. “There are a lot of those going around these days.”

  The last thing I was concerned about was whether Veronica was keeping up with unfolding events. I glanced upstairs. “What’s going on up there? Why haven’t they come down yet?”

  “I’m sure it’s fine. They’re probably just restraining him or asking questions or something,” Sierra said.

  “I hope they’re okay,” Veronica said. “It’s awfully quiet.”

  Veronica’s heels clicked as she paced the cement walkway. Sierra made a funny noise with her tongue, a clucking roll that almost sounded like a horse’s trot. Cars zoomed past. The wind ruffled tree leaves. Merry-makers laughed from an unknown location.

  The silence was killing me. I had to know what was going on. I had to go to my apartment.

  Sierra braced herself in front of the door. “Strict orders. You’re not allowed inside.”

  “I can’t take it anymore.”

  Sierra’s arms stretched across the wooden door. “Let them handle it, Gabby.”

  “She’s right. You should stay down here,” Veronica said.

  I jerked my head toward the blond, who shrugged.

  “I may not know what’s going on, but I know Riley has good instincts. If he says stay, there’s a reason for it.”

  A siren wailed in the distance. The noise grew louder and louder until an ambulance pulled into the parking lot.

  “An ambulance? Shouldn’t the police come to arrest him?” I muttered.

  A noise from inside pulled my attention away from the flashing lights. Through the small window atop the doorway, I spotted Riley coming downstairs. Sierra stepped away from the door and Riley came out.

  I gasped when I saw the blood on his white shirt. Had there been a struggle? Was Riley hurt? Oh Lord, please don’t let Riley be hurt because of me. And how about Parker? Where was Parker?

  “What happened?” I whispered, desperate to reach out and touch him, but not daring to do it in front of Veronica.

  “We tried to save him, Gabby.” Riley stepped closer. A strange emotion hovered in his eyes. Sorrow, maybe. Exhaustion? Accusation? “We did everything we could.”

  Wild thoughts collided in my head. Maybe he’d hit his head. He was talking crazy. “You’re not making sense, Riley.”

  “He’s dead, Gabby.”

  My mouth gaped open. “Dead? How could he be dead? I knocked him out with a cake dish.”

  As the paramedics rushed past, Parker staggered down the stairs, blood staining his clothes also. He glanced up at me and something flashed in his eyes. Anger? Regret?

  “You should have let me handle it, Gabby,” he whispered. I met his gaze and he looked apologetic. “I’m going to have to take you down to the station.”

  I stepped back, dread pooling in my gut. Something wasn’t right here. “Why do I have to go to the station?”

  “For the murder of Michael Cunningham.”

  Chapter Thirty-One

  “How many times do I have to tell you? I didn’t murder him. I have no idea who stabbed him. It must have happened after I left.” I leaned back in the chair, fighting off tears.

  Parker didn’t believe me. Riley probably didn’t believe me. I was there, and I almost didn’t believe me. They thought I killed Cunningham and, from appearances, I looked guilty.

  I was so shaken, I’d even temporarily forgiven Riley, the two-faced, engaged to a super model liar.

  Riley placed his firm hand over my trembling one. “Gabby, if you didn’t stab him, how did a knife end up in his leg?”

  I shook my head. “I have no idea. I was only gone five minutes, from the time I ran out to get you guys until you found Cunningham.”

  “The knife has your prints all over it,” Parker said.

  “Of course it does! It’s my knife!” I slapped my hand on the table and started to rise.

  Riley nudged me back into my seat. “Stay calm.”

  “I’m being accused of murder! How can I stay calm?”

  “You won’t be charged with murder, Gabby,” Riley said. “He obviously broke into your apartment. It looks like self-defense, if anything.”

  Riley’s voice was so calm, so soothing. I closed my eyes and let its waves sink in. He was right. It was self-defense.

  But I didn’t do it.

  “Someone must have sneaked into the apartment after I left.” I ran my hands through my hair. “It’s the only thing I can think of. Either that, or he stabbed himself.”

  “If it was someone else who stabbed him, then they would have been hiding in the apartment, right?” Riley asked.

  My head dropped into my hands. Someone else in my apartment? Why didn’t I just move into Grand Central Station? “I have no idea. Nothing is making sense right now. How would someone else have gotten in my apartment?”

  “The same way Cunningham did—through the fire escape.”

  “But why? Why would someone else break in?” I asked.

  “Maybe they were following Cunningham,” Riley said.

  I noted how the blood on his shirt turned a dark brown. His hair was more rumpled than usual and dark circles shadowed his eyes. Our time together so far had been one adventure after another. And now this.

  Riley glanced at Parker. “You have no reason to hold her.”

  “I’d say I do,” Parker said. “What would a respected candidate for senate be doing breaking and entering into an apartment? It doesn’t fit.” Parker looked at me and I could see the conflicting emotions in his eyes—compassion blended with loyalty to his job. “I want to believe you, Gabby. The evidence is stacked against you.”

  I wasn’t going down without a fight. “I thought he was going to kill me,” I said. “He said nothing would keep him from winning this election. We all know he wanted me quiet, to stay away from him. It made him desperate. Especially after what happened today.”

  Riley leaned toward me. His baby blues narrowed before he asked his next question. “What happened today?”

  “I confronted one of the women he had an affair with.”

  He sighed and, for some reason, I felt guilty.

  “Why would you do something stupid like that? Are you trying to get yourself killed?”

  A tear rolled down my cheek. This couldn’t be happening. I wasn’t going to be Parker’s scapegoat. “No, I didn’t want to get killed. What
I wanted was to put an end to this case.”

  Parker stood and began pacing. “It looks like you got your wish, Nancy Drew. Your main suspect is dead.”

  I slammed my fist on the table. “Well, whoever killed him isn’t, so this case isn’t even close to ending.”

  Riley put one hand over my clenched fist and held it on the table. “Enough, Gabby.”

  He turned to a cool Parker. “Do you have any more questions for my client? If not, I’m taking her home.

  Parker sighed and stopped pacing. “Not for now. But I will later, so don’t leave the state or do anything stupid.”

  “Understood.”

  Parker glared at me. “Which part? The leaving or the stupid, because I don’t think you have a lot of control over the latter.”

  Riley held my fist so I couldn’t swing it at Parker’s smug pretty-boy face. He took my hand and pulled me from the seat. With a hand on my back, he led the way outside to the star sprinkled night. The air was balmy, humid without the wind, but chilly when it blew.

  Inside Riley’s car, I pushed my head back onto the seat and tried to maintain control. Cunningham was dead. Someone killed him in my apartment. I was the number one suspect. Would they let me wear my cute little T-shirts and flip flops in jail?

  “I can’t believe this is happening,” I muttered when Riley climbed in.

  “We have to figure out who stabbed him, Gabby.”

  I lifted my head and whirled around to face Riley. “You believe me?” I held my breath, afraid of his answer. I desperately needed someone to believe me.

  He tilted my chin up. “I believe you. You may have a nose for getting into trouble, but you’re not a liar. Plus, I saw your face when you found out he’d been stabbed. You were clueless.”

  I forced a smile. “Thanks. It’s good to know someone’s on my side.”

  “I’ve always been on your side, Gabby.”

  I felt my cheeks growing warm and scolded myself. Riley was engaged, not the kind of man who should give me warm fuzzy feelings.

  His hand dropped from my chin and he started the engine. As we drove down the road, thoughts haunted me, unanswered questions swirled in my mind, stabbing at my nerves.

  “You should stay with Sierra tonight.”

  I nodded. I had no desire to go back to my apartment. I was supposed to clean other people’s crime scenes, not my own.

  “Gabby, about Veronica—”

  I’d almost been killed, if not by Cunningham, then by whoever else was in my apartment. I’d had a man murdered in my room tonight. I’d spent hours being interrogated and accused of murder. Heaven forbid I’d use all those little excuses to stop poor engaged Riley from talking about his girlfriend.

  “It’s like I said before Riley, you don’t have to explain.”

  “I need to Gabby, for my sake if not for yours.” He drew in a deep breath and strummed his fingers against the steering wheel. “I called off the engagement before I moved here. I needed to get away from all the pressure. I had television cameras on me all the time. The trial, my engagement, Laskin’s campaign. I felt like I had to be perfect, look perfect, act perfect. I never planned for my life to end up like that.”

  I waited for him to continue, part of me relieved that he was opening up, part of me wanting to smother him with a pillow.

  “I couldn’t take it anymore. I called off the engagement, but Veronica is used to getting what she wants. It didn’t sink in. When she showed up at the apartment, I had no idea she was coming. As far as I was concerned, we were through.”

  “But she thought differently?”

  Riley smiled weakly. “Yes, and she’s very convincing. We had been together four years. I decided to give it another chance. She promised to lay off with some of her high expectations and try again.”

  I nodded, though my heart was heavy. “That makes sense.”

  “I didn’t purposely lead you on, Gabby. I was attracted to you, but I knew I needed time to get over a four-year relationship, so I didn’t rush things. And now . . .”

  “She seems nice, Riley. I hope you’re happy together.” It killed me to say the words, though they were the truth.

  “Veronica’s . . . high maintenance.” He ran a hand through his hair. “A wonderful woman, I’m just not sure we’re right for each other.”

  “Maybe you should be telling her this and not me.”

  His fingers strummed the wheel again. “You’re probably right.”

  “When are you going back to California?” I didn’t want him to leave. More than anything I wanted him to stay, if he was engaged or not.

  His voice sounded strained. “I don’t know. I just don’t know, Gabby.” He pulled up to the apartment building and cut the engine. “I never wanted to deceive you.”

  “You’ve been a good friend, Riley. If you hadn’t been around, I wouldn’t be alive now.”

  “There’s one more thing you should know while I’m sharing.”

  My gaze fluttered to his. “Go on.”

  “Remember the Milton Jones trial that went on last year?”

  Finally, he was going to share the entire truth with me.

  “Yes, I remember.”

  “I was the attorney in charge of prosecuting that case.”

  “Why are you walking away from your career?”

  He shrugged. “I never wanted to be a big shot attorney. All I ever wanted was the peaceful American dream, picket fence, two-point-five kids and all.”

  I offered a half-smile. “Veronica can help you with that.”

  He slowly nodded. “Yeah, I guess she can.”

  A movement in the distance caught my eye. “Speaking of your lovely fiancée, here she comes now.”

  Before Riley even opened the door, Veronica folded into his arms, tears running down her porcelain cheeks. “Are you okay? I’ve been so worried.”

  I thought maybe that question might be better directed at me, but no such luck.

  “I’m fine.” Riley swung the door open and gave Veronica all his strong, soothing attention. “Nothing a shower and clean clothes won’t fix.”

  The two started into the apartment, arms around each other, while I watched in the background. Riley glanced over his shoulder, a glimmer of something in his eyes.

  An apology maybe?

  At least some of my questions had been answered. The answers stunk, but I had them. I still wasn’t done yet, though.

  ***

  “Veronica’s always going to try and make Riley fit into her perfect little life.” Sierra popped an organic, all-natural potato chip in her mouth. I was staying the night in her apartment, not ready to face the mess in mine. “You should have heard her talking after you left about how anxious she is to get him away from this town.”

  “She seems nice.” I went to the refrigerator to get some soy milk.

  “Yeah, but high class. You said Riley wants it simple.”

  “He thinks he wants it simple. But isn’t Veronica the girl of every guy’s dream? I mean, she’s beautiful, successful, rich.”

  “Some guys care about more than what’s on the outside.”

  I paused mid-pour, trying to think of one. Giving it up as hopeless, I shrugged. “Yeah, well it doesn’t matter. Riley is engaged and that’s that. He’ll probably be moving back to California and they’ll live a perfect, if not simple, life together.”

  “That’s too bad. You guys would have made a great couple.”

  I plopped back down on the hide-a-bed, my hip digging into one of the metal bars underneath. I made a face and rubbed my injured hind side. “There are plenty of other guys out there for me. You know I’ve never believed in the ‘there’s only one right person’ theory.”

  “Soul mates.” Sierra leaned back with a little smile. “I believe it.”

  Part of me had to admit the idea was appealing. The thought that you only had one perfect person for you and the two of you had to find each other. It made for a good movie, but in real life it wouldn’t work.<
br />
  “I would take you for dreamer too, Gabby.”

  I stood up, just for the sake of moving. “I stopped dreaming a long time ago, Sierra.” Right about the time my brother was kidnapped, I thought.

  Sierra frowned. “You know, those who don’t dream age more quickly. You should at least get an animal companion. They’ll add a few years to your life to make up for your pessimistic attitude.”

  “I’m not a pessimist.”

  “Could have fooled me with your comments of late.”

  I sighed. “Can we talk about something else?”

  “Sure, how about Detective Parker. He would be a good distraction from Riley.”

  I swallowed, my throat feeling raw. “Parker thinks I’m guilty. He thinks I killed Cunningham.”

  “Who did stab Michael Cunningham?” Sierra asked.

  “That’s the question of the hour.”

  “Somebody else had to be in your apartment, Gabby. It’s the only thing that makes sense. What if they came up the fire escape after you left? If they were following Cunningham and saw him sneaking into your apartment?”

  “But why would they kill him?”

  “They had a vendetta against him.”

  “But why?”

  Sierra blew the hair out of her face. “Maybe it was a scorned lover.”

  According to Candace Mills, he had a lot of those. I sat up straighter. “You may be on to something, Sierra.”

  “Don’t sound so surprised.”

  “I need to look at the crime scene.” I propelled myself off the bed toward the door.

  Sierra staggered behind me. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. Riley said you should stay away.”

  “I just want to see the evidence.” I opened the door and started creeping upstairs.

  “They’ve probably taken the evidence to the station, don’t you think?” Sierra asked.

  There was evidence and then there was evidence. I had no doubt the blood splatters would still be there. I shushed her. “Don’t let Riley hear you.”

  “Too late,” a deep voice said.

  I looked up and saw him leaning against the doorframe to my apartment. “What are you doing?”

  “Looking at the crime scene.”